Beneteau and the China Cup International Regatta

by Simpson Marine on 13 Oct 2008 The inaugural China Cup International Regatta (CCIR) attracted an impressive number of international crew to Shenzhen last October, including over 40 sailors from the international Beneteau Dealers Network. This year, with Beneteau signed up as a major sponsor, the Dealers Network is gearing up to make another big splash.

As official sponsor of the CCIR, Beneteau supplied another twenty First 40.7 yachts this year – taking the One-Design fleet to over thirty – allocating ten to its huge Beneteau Dealer’s Network, which has nearly 200 offices in 52 countries.

Taking up the opportunity to compete in the One-Design class, are Beneteau teams from around the world, including entries from Australia, Norway, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Brazil and New Zealand – a total of over 50 experienced sailors from around the world.

Mike Simpson, Managing Director of Simpson Marine says 'the support from the international Beneteau community shows this is an important regatta which is likely to become one of the major racing events in Asia.' Last year, the fleet of ten Beneteau First 40.7 yachts were sailed by teams from around the world with entries from the United States, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.

According to Simpson, the long-term partnership with Beneteau is exciting as it will help the CCIR establish a yachting culture in China and support the development of the wider industry in this young sailing market. 'As a sponsor of the China Cup, Beneteau is making a significant contribution to the development of yachting in China as the sponsorship programme includes training in yacht handling and racing as well as boat maintenance support from the international media and recruiting of top sailors from around the world to compete in this exciting new regatta.'

As official sponsor to the CCIR, Beneteau will also supply a number of additional yachts over the next five years; including Beneteau Farr designed First 40.7s. Beneteau will also be title-sponsor for two CCIR sub-regattas.

Simpson Marine, which negotiated the Beneteau sponsorship, is also an official sponsor of the CCIR and will provide a range of services, from crew training to Beneteau fleet maintenance at a new base at Longcheer Marina in Shenzhen.